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This website covers knowledge management, personal effectiveness, theory of constraints, amongst other topics. Opinions expressed here are strictly those of the owner, Jack Vinson, and those of the commenters.

Jun 26 What does it mean to manage knowledge

... tacit knowledge is to some extent "captured" when the knowledge holder joins a network or a community of practice. Up to this point, the tacit knowledge is siloed; inaccessible. Once the person is connected into a network, their tacit knowledge is linked into a system.

I love this redefinition of what it means to "capture" knowledge. It goes along the lines of redefining knowledge management altogether. KM in its early days was about managing the evidence of knowledge work: document management, records management, etc. Or it was about managing access to knowledge through yellow pages and expert locators. This has shifted significantly where today knowledge management is about connecting people: connecting people to one another with the assumption that they will help each other and know how to ask.

I think this is the one area where KM still falls short. We provide the tools and forums, but people often don't know what to do once they have them. Does one simply ask questions? How does one take the next steps, once they have found a good nexus of knowledge? How do we solve problems together?

In other words: what is the system that we should put in place to ensure that people can make best use of the interconnections that Nick mentions above. That "best use" is likely defined by the people themselves and the goals of the network. Knowledge management has to include thinking along these lines.

I am deeply interested in both Knowledge Management and Theory of Constraints. I've worked with a wide variety of businesses and operations, and all this work reflects these two key interests. Even as a product manager, I was constantly looking for ways to see how the products I managed could help the customer be more effective with their time and energy.

Theory of Constraints and Knowledge Management are means to an end -- tools. First examine the needs for your business, then look for tools that will help you get there. What are your goals? What is getting in the way of those goals? Let's find ways to attack those things and move forward.

I am deeply interested in both Knowledge Management and Theory of Constraints. I've worked with a wide variety of businesses and operations, and all this work reflects these two key interests. Even as a product manager, I was constantly looking for ways to see how the products I managed could help the customer be more effective with their time and energy.

Theory of Constraints and Knowledge Management are means to an end -- tools. First examine the needs for your business, then look for tools that will help you get there. What are your goals? What is getting in the way of those goals? Let's find ways to attack those things and move forward.

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This blog is about knowledge management, personal effectiveness, theory of constraints and other topics. Opinions expressed here are strictly those of the owner, Jack Vinson, and those of the commenters.